Fair-lead



G. F. GRAY.

FAIRLEAD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. I919.

Patented July 13, 1920.

G. F. GRAY.

FAIRLEAD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented July 13, 1920.

7'0 REEL f zuezzfof Jig/we;

A N TENN/I To all whom it may concern:

antenna passes through the floor, through whichthe antenna may be let out or drawn U T-Ensures;

PATENT' OFFICE.

GEORGE rnANoIs GRAY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FAIR-LEAD. I

the trailing antenna of the radio set passes."

In radio apparatus of the type used on airplanes, a drumvor reel is usually pro-' vided in the fuselage on which the antenna wire is wound when not in use, and from which it is unwound and suspended from the airplane through the fuselage floor during flight when the apparatus is in opera tion. This necessitates the provision of an insulating bushing at the point where the in as the necessity requires.

A further object is to provide a device of the type described which is also intended to serve as-the point of. electrical connection between the radio apparatus and the antenna without in any manner interfering with the operation of either. It is particularly intended in the designing of the -de-' vice, to make provision whereby a heavily insulated wire, leading from the radio set to the fairlead, may be used, and to maintain the insulation of this wire without a break near the fairlead. The fairlead as designed is easily assembled on the airplane,

it being only necessary to bore a round hole in the floor of the airplane fuselage. The parts of the fairlead themselves are readily joined together by hand.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate the same parts throughout the several views, of which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the fairlead showing the same as it appears when mounted in the floor of the fuselage,

Fig. 2, a vertical, transverse section taken through the fairlead as it appears in Fig. 1, showing more clearly the manner in which the several parts thereof are arranged; also the position ofthe antenna wire with rela tion to the fairlead when the airplane is in attached to the fairlead,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J uly 13, 1920- Application filed April 22, 191 9. Serial No. 291,985.

flight, and the manner in which the high apparatus is voltage cable from the radio Fig.3, an elevational view of thd ii ain insulating member of the fairlead with the lower part thereof broken away, i

so i.

Fig; 4:, an elevational View of' the clamping ring which cooperates with the upper part of the main insulating member of the .fairlead to clamp the high voltage cable in place, a

Fig. 5, a view from the under side of said clamping ring,

Fig. 6, a horizontal section taken on the line 66 of Fig.1,

Fig. 7, a plan view looking down on the top of the main insulating member, and

Fig. 8, a perspective of the type of washer used between the fuselage floor and the vparts of the fairlead which clampon the same.

In the drawings, 1' represents a metal tube, preferably made of drawn steel.- Th antenna wire passes through this tubeand due to the trailing or sweeplng position which the antenna assumes when the airplane 1s 1,n motion, makes electrical connectlon wlth tube 1 at the lower end thereof, as shown in Fig. 2.. Tube 1 is held in place in. and is insulated from the floor through which it passes by insulating member 2'. Member 2' which is made of some non-conducting materi'al, such as bakelite, is formed integral with tube 1 by molding the insulating mem berabout the lower portion of the tube as shown, the outer surface of this portion of the tube being roughened for this purpose.

Insulating member 2 isprovided with an enlarged portion 3 at'the upper end thereof which servesto retain the fairlead in place in the opening in the fuselage floor pro-' vided for the same. This opening need be only large enough to allow the lower portion of member 2 to pass therethrough. Another insulating member 4 is removably mounted on the reduced portion of member 2 where the same projects on the underside of the floor. This member is interiorly screw-threaded and when mounted on member 2 cooperates with threads formed on the exterior thereof for this purpose. When the lower reduced portion of member 2 is passed through the opening in the floor and member 4 mounted thereon and screwed up from the underside of the floor, member 4 and the enlarged portion 3 of insulating member 2 serve to clamp the fuselage floor I already existing between the antenna and the tube as heretofore explained, connecting means adapted to receive a wire 7 from the radio set and thus make electrical connection between the latter and tube 1, are provided on said tube just above the enlarged portion 3 of insulating member 2. This is best shown in Fig. 2, the means mentioned consisting ofa nut S, a washer 9, a binding nut 10, and a locking nut 11, all of which are mounted in the order mentioned on the screw threaded portion of tube 1 which projects above the enlarged portion 3 of memher 2. Nut 8 through which the current passes from wire 7 into tube 1, is mounted on tube 1 and screwed down far enough on the screw threaded portion thereof previous to the molding of insulating member 2 on the tube, so that nut 8 is partially embedded inthe upper surface of insulating member 2, and thus permanently and immovably attached to tube" 1. The exposed end of wire 7 is then twisted about tube 1, asshown in Fig. 6, and positively held in contact with the upper surface of nut 8 by means of washer 9 and binding nut 10. Nut 11 is then screwed-down on binding nut 10 and serves to lock the latter in place.

Thus, the electrical current passing through wire 7, passes through nut 8 and tube '1, and thence into the "antenna wire.

Wire 7 which extends from the radio set to the fairlead, is of a heavily insulated type and in order to insure that the same will not be inadvertently pulled out of the fairlead and the electrical connection between the radio set and the antenna thereby broken,

additional securing means for wire 7 in the form of a clamping ring 12 and cap 13 which latter screws on the upper end of tube 1 and secures ring 12 in place, are provided.

A notch 14 in the lower edge of ring 12 serves to cooperate with a corresponding notch 15 in an annular rib 16, formed on the upper surface of the enlarged portion of member 2, in providing an opening through which insulated wire 7 passes into the fair lead and is secured to tube 1. Notch 15 in the annular rib 16 of member 2 should preferably be formed in that member so as to be at right angles with one of the faces of nut 8 as shown in Fig. 7 Wire 7 is secured to tube 1 in such manner that the insulation thereof rests between the faces of notches 1 1 and 15 when ring 12 is put in place. Hence, when cap 13 is screwed down on clamping ring 12, the latter is forced down tightly on and cooperates with rib 16 to firmly grip the insulation of wire 7 and thus remove any strain from the connection at tube 1. It will also be seen that this arrangement allows the insulation of wire 7 to be maintained without a break outside the fairlead structure.

While the details of construction have been described more or less precisely, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited thereto, as changes in form, the proportion of parts, and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest 0r render expedient, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

\Vhat I claim is:

A fairlead comprising in combination, a tubular, insulating member having an en lar-ged upper portion, a current-conducting tube fixedly mounted in said insulated member and having a threaded portion projecting above the enlarged portion of said i11- sulating member, a second insulating member removably mounted on the lower portion of said first mentioned insulating memher, and adapted to cooperate with the en- 'larged portion of the latter to clamp the fair-lead to its support, a nut mounted on the threaded portion of said current-conducting tube and partiallv embedded in said first mentioned insulating member, means for maintaining the exposed end of an electrical conductor in contact with said nut, a clamping ring .provided with a groove adapted to coincide with a groove in the upper end of said first mentioned, insulating member, said grooves forming an opening through which said electrical conductor passes, and a capremovably mounted on the threaded portion of said current-conducting tube above said clamping ring' for forcing the latter in clamping position about the insulation of said electrical conductor.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. 4

GEORGE F. GRAY. 

